The Students Serving Students Program is a unique and flexible orientation program designed to meet the needs of a large commuter population at Youngstown State University. The program is staffed by 20 upperclass students who contact all first-year and transfer students prior to the opening day of classes. Staff serve as peer resources throughout…

As increasing numbers of postsecondary learners enroll in commuter campuses, speech communication departments can identify the characteristics which make commuting students somewhat different from their counterparts on residential campuses. Priorities of these two groups differ--students whose primary focus in life is the college experience…

This study examined the benefits of early involvement in co-curricular activities and first-year seminars among first-year college students with respect to alcohol and other drug use, self-worth perceptions, attitudes toward social justice, engagement in the academic process, and community service involvement approximately 6 weeks into the fall…

A study was done to explore the relationship between academic achievement and student employment for college students in the arts and sciences and for business students. The study administered a one page questionnaire to students at nine colleges and universities on Long Island, New York, eight of which were primarily commuter colleges with a…

The first phase of a study to predict retention and withdrawal among disadvantaged students at an urban commuter institution is described. Variable selection for the study was guided by Tinto's (1975) and Bean's (1982) models. Pilot testing was undertaken to estimate some psychometric characteristics of Pascarella and Terenzini's institutional…

A causal model of academic factors affecting undergraduate student persistence at a large, urban, commuter university was tested. The effects of academic variables on persistence from fall to spring semester were also assessed for transfer and native students. The model accounted for 49% of the total variance in persistence, while separate models…

The personal problems and psychological needs of college students may vary according to their living arrangements. To compare the types and number of problems resident and commuter students bring to a university counseling center, the intake data of 345 students (152 dormitory residents, 193 commuters; 177 women, 168 men) seeking individual…

Observation and literature review show an increasing number of nontraditional students, many of them students "commuting" to college. Defining commuting students as older than 24 and living at some distance away from the college they attend, a survey was conducted among commuting students at a university. Preliminary interviews were conducted with…

A study was conducted at Pennsylvania State University to determine the degree of involvement in college life of commuter students aged 25 or older. A sample was drawn from a list of 1,449 students identified by the university as being 25 or older. From these names, 502 were selected as commuters (living more than five miles from campus) and…

Between 1973-1979, the elementary educational system in rural areas of Poland has been reorganized into a system of collective commune schools; students commute or are bused to the schools. Since September 1973, 944 new collective commune schools have been set up. A study of the data indicates that the process of setting up collective commune…

This study investigated the contributions of entering characteristics and college experiences on student satisfaction and degree completion using the input-environment-outcome assessment model developed by A. W. Astin (1995). A total of 594 college students who had started college about 5 years previously completed a survey about their college…

A survey investigated the attitudes of commuter students toward distance education. Respondents were 397 students attending Purdue University Calumet (Indiana) for at least two semesters. Results indicated that if the students had the option of taking a course at home or in a classroom, 59 percent would use the distance option; over half of these…

Indirect student costs at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington were studied: semester expenses for food, shelter, clothing, books and supplies, personal items, health care, transportation, and child care. Selected cost data were also compared to student characteristics including: whether they had ever received financial aid from the…

Student questionnaires were administered at Tidewater Community College, Virginia, to examine the following areas of interest: factors related to student transportation and their impact on class scheduling, student evaluations of counseling centers and faculty assistance during the class registration process, the students' personal work schedules,…

Upper-level institutions of higher education, offering course work at only the junior, senior, and in some cases postgraduate level, are discussed. Two upper-level institutions that are part of the University of Houston system are cited as examples: The University of Houston at Clear Lake City and the University of Houston Victoria Campus. In the…